Alistair Overeem passed up on some big MMA fights this year to add the label of kickboxing champ to his resume. It paid off.
He suffered some rough moments last year in K-1, but with more dedication to his striking training in 2010, Overeem was a powerhouse in Tokyo this morning.
The Dutchman got better as the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 went along. He won three fights in one night to take the WGP title and did so by beating out several K-1 legends.
By the time, he reached the final without a mark on his face, Peter Aerts was in big trouble. A fellow Dutchman, Aerts traded shots with the beast for about 35 seconds before Overeem overwhelmed him.
"The Reem" trapped Aerts in a corner and drilled him with a right hand followed by a body shot. Aerts fells to his knees. The referee jumped in to give Aerts a ten count, but the 40-year-old legend said he couldn't go any longer. Overeem won the tournament as a plus-205 choice.
The 6-foot-5, 261-pound, Overeem is unofficially the first heavyweight fighter to hold a major MMA belt and win a K-1 WGP title. He's also the Strikeforce MMA champ. The K-1 accolades only add to his reputation as an MMA star.
One downside of the win is the fact that Overeem is a virtual lock to try and defend his K-1 honor in 2011, meaning he'll be locked up for most of the November and December prepping if he can get out of the first round.
Overeem's toughest fight this morning actually came in the opening round.
Overeem is far from slick. He walks straight forward, willing to eat big shots so he can land his own bombs. That approach almost cost him against Tyrone Spong.
Early in the fight, the 231-pound Spong was too fast. Spong caught Overeem with a great counter left hook as the big guy tried a flying knee. It put the Dutchman on queer street. Spong wailed away and landed four or five more huge left hands, and got Overeem on the ropes with 1:45 left in the first. Overeem survived and his power just sapped Spong the rest of the way.
That career-high 231 pounds may have cost Spong in the long run.
Gohkan Saki was the opponent in the semis, but much like Aerts, the Turkish born fighter had to fight a war in his previous bout. Saki and Daniel Ghita kicked the hell out of each for four rounds. Saki won but his body was brutalized.
Overeem looked slow and was easy to hit, but he just waited for the smaller fighter to slow down, then he unleashed two vicious body kicks. The second got Saki to quit. HDNet's Michael Schiavello reported that Saki had broken his elbow and his right hand.
Aerts was looking to become a four-time WGP champ. Unfortunately, the old guy was also a mess by the time he faced Overeem. He ate way too many punches from 6-11, 292-pound Semmy Schilt in the semifinals. Aerts outlasted Schilt in that fight, but the damage had been done. There were actually thoughts he may not be able to fight in the final. Bettors pushed the line minus-450 to minus-645 on Overeem by the opening bell.
Tim Ferry Ashley Fiolek Ernesto Fonseca Lauris Freibergs Paul Friedrichs
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